Not All Raw Fish

You will often see it said that "no Japanese meal is complete without rice, pickles, and miso soup," or something similar. This is actually a fairly recent principle, but it has been roughly true for quite some time now. So let's talk, then, about the classic Japanese dinner (insofar as there is such a thing). ...

I've just posted a new dish, but I did it on my own blog, not here. Why? Well... I don't think it's going to be most FoodProofers' cup of tea. I mean, classic Japanese home cooking, sure, but, well.... Take a look. But I've posted a recipe here, just for easy reference. ...

If you don’t know what nabemono is, click here to read part 1. As usual, there are recipes for everything in the recipes section (click the title of each section to find them), but mostly these things ...

Time for another introduction to ordinary family cooking in Japan. This time, nabemono, stuff cooked in a pot. It’s not Christmas dinner, but it’s warm and comforting and fun. (Incidentally, ...

Some time back, I wrote a long post about knives: which ones to buy, how to maintain them, and so forth. There is a good deal more to be said about that, and I’ll do it one of these days, but for the moment ...

Recently there was a post in the forums by Fatso, about tossing anchovies on top of plain rice and eating it. It occurs to me that this is an amazingly Japanese thing to eat. They like salty fish products on top of rice. You eat it, as mixed as you like, with chopsticks. Standard snack lunch, sometimes even ...

Liisa posted an interesting thing in the forums recently. Turns out, Mitch doesn’t really like to cook, and Liisa wonders whether maybe this is for the same kind of reasons as she doesn’t much like carpentry. Then it turns out mct doesn’t love to cook either. And this forum being what it is, and likable ...

I’ve been uncharacteristically quiet lately. In part, I’ve just been very busy. But I’ve also had to face a real problem with a column on basic home cooking, Japanese-style: I’ve come quite close to the end of the obvious list. In part 1, I'm talking in general terms about Japanese food at home; ...

For variations on doria (which I talked about in part 2 of this post), you could use boiled macaroni or something in place of the rice, in which case you’ve got guratan (read, “gratin”). Also known as “wiggle” in many parts of America. If you were wondering why this sounds an awful lot like tuna ...

Doria is Japan’s answer to tuna casserole. It’s quick and easy, and you can put leftovers in it, and the kids love it. Since you don’t have an oven, the technique is of course a bit different. [Incidentally, although this is part 2, part 1 is mostly about the column rather than the food, so you're ...

Okay, admittedly that’s not really the proper name for takikomi gohan, but when it gets right down to it, that’s what it is: rice with stuff in it. That's even basically what the Japanese term means: steamed-mixed-up-rice (炊き込み御飯). Let’s start with the basic recipe: put rice and ...

As usual, there's a recipe over here, but this is so easy there's barely any point. Okay, so here’s one classic, autumnal form of takikomi gohan. Matsutake Gohan Get 1 matsutake mushroom, and gently brush it free of dirt and forest mold. Cut it in half crosswise, then cut each half lengthwise into ...

Now that you know what types of knife you might need, which particular ones should you buy? (If you're just coming in, you may want to read part 1 first.) Four issues: MetalEdgeBrandDesign/size ...

I adore knives. I don't mean I collect weird fantasy knives and swords or something - I outgrew that before I could afford the things, fortunately. But I have become addicted to knives in the kitchen, ...

You’ve got knives, so you need to take care of them. (If you don't have knives, go back to part 1 or part 2.) Three big issues: Daily maintenanceMaintenance sharpeningHeavy sharpening Daily Maintenance ...

For the basics of miso soup, see part 1 of this entry. If you want miso soup with wakame, tofu, and scallion rings, you can go to any Japanese restaurant and get it, and it won't be expensive - if it is, they're ripping you off. But there are lots of other kinds you can't get so easily, so let's talk about them. ...

Everybody likes miso soup, right? Certainly everyone in Japan does—anyway, if they don’t, they’re keeping pretty quiet about it. This soup is very, very easy to make, and it has a lot more ...

If you're making shio yaki in America, you're likely to run into two basic problems: the fish problem and the broiler problem. If you're new to shio yaki, please read part 1 of this blog post first. The Fish Problem Your basic seafood counter at the supermarket rarely stocks whole fish of any kind, although ...

To my mind, there are only a few truly distinctive dishes in Japanese cuisine, setting aside the issue of raw fish in its various forms. One of these is shio yaki, salt-broiled or -grilled fish. This ...

Stacey just posted a blog entry about how she's not a foodie. She seems a bit worried, but proud. Well... Pfui, as Nero Wolfe used to say. The morons have taken over the word "foodie." I prefer Calvin Trillin's term -- actually his wife's, used to refer to him and his friends: "Food Crazies." You don't ...

Shortly after I stumbled on FoodProof, I posted a response to the 100 Things thing. Now I'll post it as a blog entry, with a little better attitude and a tad more explanation. One of these days maybe I'll try to whip up a revised 100 Things list: want to help out? Too many of these things that seem to be here as ...

In 1975, Don Maloney, an American expatriate businessman who’d been writing a series of short columns for the English-language Japan Times, published a collection entitled Japan: It’s ...

I just noticed that over in the pantry section, both of the mentions of miso other than mine refer to a pre-made salad dressing that has miso in it. I also notice that people are having trouble finding this dressing. I’m here to help! Here’s the secret: miso is inexpensive, keeps for an amazingly long ...

About a year back, I got to take a cooking class on technique with the great Jacques Pépin. I learned a lot of things, but the one that really sticks with me is this one: poulet en saucisse. This is where you bone out a chicken completely, roll it around some sort of stuffing made out of odds and ends you found ...